Sam Austin

Sam Austin is a community planner with professional experience across Australia and Canada, working in municipal government and consultancy roles on land use policy, strategic planning, and community engagement. He has led and contributed to projects for local, regional, and state level governments, giving him a comparative perspective on how different planning systems respond to shared urban challenges. Sam is currently a Senior Land Use Planner with the City of New Westminster in British Columbia. Alongside his professional practice, he is an active public communicator on planning and city-making, contributing through media commentary, policy submissions, public speaking, and social media. His work focuses on issues affecting younger generations, including housing affordability, the night-time economy, and building more resilient and climate-ready cities.